


In Another Place

by undernightlight



Series: Gays in Space [34]
Category: Red Dwarf (UK TV)
Genre: Alternate Arnold Rimmer, Alternate Dave Lister, Arnold Rimmer as Ace Rimmer, Arnold Rimmer's family, Canon-Typical Behavior, Dimension Travel, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:34:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27505417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undernightlight/pseuds/undernightlight
Summary: Whenever he dimension hops, Rimmer feels the need to find that reality's version of him. This is one version he finds that brings a smile to his face.
Relationships: Dave Lister/Arnold Rimmer
Series: Gays in Space [34]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/951465
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	In Another Place

**Author's Note:**

> mentions of child abuse (specifically from his brothers)

For some reason, he always felt like he should try and find that reality’s version of him. It wasn’t always a good thing, but once he started he couldn’t really stop it seemed; he was just too curious. At first, he just wanted to compare himself, to see how he stacked up against these counterparts, and he’d met some interesting characters along the way, included a Navigations Officer Rimmer who was just as bitter twisted as he was despite his rank, because it seemed that nothing would ever be enough, an painter Arnold who was quite content living in his New New York Apartment with extortionate rant and terrible internet connection, and a Rimmer who’d spent all his life on Io, seemingly doing nothing but wander and mope.

Rimmer - as he refused to refer to himself as Ace - had jumped into the current dimension about a month back. He’d been kept busy, safing words and bringing down corrupt governments - the usual - before he met that reality’s Arnold J. Rimmer.

When they met, it was on solid ground, in a breathable atmosphere, surrounded by dark green grass in a park with a pond. Scenic, Rimmer thought, as he sat with his double. In this reality, things were different from the get go. This Arnold had been born three years later than he had - and with the time/dimension difference, put him at about six years younger than he was - putting an even bigger age gap between him, and in this universe, four brothers - John, Howard, Frank and William. The torment, it seemed, was far worse for this Arnold than it had been for him; he wasn’t even sure that was possible at times, but this young man proved it.

Frank, apparently, was mentally unstable. All of them were to an extent it seemed, according to this Arnold as he spoke of them, but Frank had been more so, and with a young William to mentor, the two of them made Arnold’s life hell. He still had the scars to prove it. John and Howard hadn’t been much better, but their abuse tended to lean more mental and psychological than physical. As Arnold had sat and talked about it - very calmly considering what he was saying, and that he was saying to an alternate dimension version of himself - Rimmer recognised bits.

He recognised the mine in the sand box. For him, it had knocked him unconscious, did a little damage but that was all. For Arnold, he’d dislocated the shoulder of his dominant hand. No one would help him with anything, with eating or dressing, so his recovery had been long and painful. He recognised when Frank had strung him upside down in a tree, except for Arnold it had been Frank and William, and he hadn’t been found until the next morning.

It was all rather depressing hearing it all again, but compared to Arnold, he’d had a rather happy life.

There were differences too. Rimmer went to Io House for his entire education, whereas Arnold was pulled out at twelve to attend a school specialising in children with learning disabilities. He talked about how, at first, it was a nightmare, that he didn’t want to go and that his family didn’t want it either, but it was a legal thing and he had no choice. Eventually he found it beneficial, with his dyslexia finally being diagnosed, he got the help he didn’t know he so desperately needed.

It seemed good for Arnold, despite the additional bullying he spoke of, and Rimmer couldn’t help be curious about himself, though he supposed it didn’t matter now anyway.

Arnold seemed a well man considering everything. Sure, there were clearly things that weren’t, as one would say, normal, but Rimmer doubted anyone would call him normal, so he didn’t think too much of it. Arnold seemed to like him too, smiled when Rimmer shared bits of his life, the things he’d done.

It was all very calm and mundane and ordinary in a way Rimmer had never experienced. Then he heard a voice that was oh so familiar. Arnold had turned at the voice too, clearly well known to him, and greeted this reality’s David Lister with a warm smile.

Rimmer found, surprisingly, that more often than not, where there was an Arnold Rimmer, there was a Dave Lister. He wasn’t sure why or how, but he somehow didn’t care; it was nice to see Lister’s face, even if it wasn’t his Lister. This Lister - Dave - must’ve been closer to his actual age, in relation to the version he knew, for it seemed there was barely any age gap between Arnold and Dave, though of course he could be wrong. It was strange, seeing Lister much closer to how he looked before the accident on Red Dwarf, and Rimmer couldn’t help but give a small, sad smile.

The young men greeted each other with warm smiles, Dave’s hand resting on Arnold’s shoulder before he’d even noticed Rimmer. When he had, he frowned and sent a questioning glance to Arnold.

“He’s me, just from a different dimension.” And somehow that was enough for Dave to believe; all it took was Arnold’s word and he believed him. Arnold and Dave were clearly close, smiling and having inside jokes and always touching. It wasn’t like him and Lister, but he found it made him miss his Lister more than he already did.

He missed Red Dwarf, the life he had despite it’s terrors, because it was familiar, what he’d always known. He missed Lister greatly and constantly, and for a long while, he didn’t know why, couldn’t understand why his longing for him was so intense. When he eventually figured it out, all he could do was sigh because there was nothing he could do about it now. He’d left, and he couldn’t go back, that’s how the gig worked.

When Dave planted a gentle kiss against Arnold’s temple, Rimmer couldn’t help but smile. It was sad, pained, but also happy, because at least if he couldn’t, then some other version of him could have some other version of Lister. It wasn’t the same, it wasn’t exact, but it gave Rimmer some form of comfort knowing that in this dimension, and maybe in other’s, they had each other.

**Author's Note:**

> this ended up being soft and that was really not the way this was supposed to go - it was supposed to be a serial killer thing, but maybe this just proves that, when it comes to my faves, I just can't write them as genuinely bad people


End file.
